Entrepreneurial fervor, that perfectionism, that drive to
succeed can lead to addictive habits. "Entrepreneurs adhere to
the myth of invincibility," says clinical program director
Scott Stacy of the Professional Renewal Center in Lawrence, Kansas.
"High achievers will do just about anything to not fail and to
keep going, including using substances to deal with professional
burnout." Entrepreneurs can also be addicted to gambling,
food, shopping, sex, even making money. Early warning signs of
addiction are cynicism, anxiety, sleep disturbance, irritability,
emotional and physical exhaustion, and an inability to internally
regulate mood. Says Stacy, "The tendency is to excessively
rely on external relationships or objects to regulate mood; for
example, if you feel down and go buy a new car."

Epi Torres, 48, founder of ChangeYourHabits
LLC, a personal improvement consulting firm in Pittsburgh,
developed a problem with food addiction after he quit smoking. It
was at its worst when he was running his first business,
Contemporary Technologies Inc., an IT management and consulting
firm in Pittsburgh. "I would eat until I felt sick," he
remembers. "I was tired; I wasn't sleeping well. I was
stressed all the time." He realized his problem and got
psychological and physical help. Today, he's healthy and runs a
third business, Fox Chapel Yacht Club and Conference Center in
Pittsburgh. Projected 2004 revenues for the three businesses
combined is about $20 million.

Stacy says that to recognize addictions, "sometimes it
takes people getting into serious trouble." For Eric Aronson,
founder of DASH
Systems Inc. in Garden City, New York, it took a 3-year prison
sentence for conspiracy to commit securities fraud to jolt him into
changing. He was addicted to making money, and he drank, smoked and
gambled. "Money was my God," says Aronson. Selling
fraudulent stocks in his company landed him in prison, and while
there, he had an epiphany: He was missing the lives of his three
children. He changed his priorities, and when he got out, he
founded DASH, a personal coaching company that's expected to
gross $4 million to $6 million this year.

Overcoming addictive tendencies is difficult but possible, says
Stacy. If you see the signs, get help. "You'd consult with
an attorney [about] the way you structure your company," he
says. "Why wouldn't you invest in yourself and consult
with somebody who really knows about addiction? If you don't
take care of yourself, the company won't do well."